In any major urban area, street contacts with mentally or emotionally disturbed persons are practically unavoidable. According to the American Psychiatric Association, one of every three Americans will suffer some form of serious mental or emotional illness at some point in his life. I’m OK, but frankly I’ve been a bit worried about you.

The most common group of mentally disturbed persons you will encounter is the “street person”, typically a homeless drifter, or “bum”, usually shabbily dressed, unkempt, bearded, and dirty. A lot of people will try to tell you that these people are helpless, harmless victims of the failed mental health care system. This is not typically true.

It is now extremely difficult in this country to involuntarily commit someone for a mental illness, even a serious one. Even disturbed persons who kill are typically stabilized with medication and released back into the public, with the frail hope that they will continue to faithfully take their medication without supervision.

Most mentally ill street people have been placed in care homes or mental institutions at some point, but since they cannot be held there against their will, they left and went back on the street. In my experience, many of these persons prefer uncertain life on the street to the structured and confining life in an institution. Of course, once on the street and broke, they have no access to medications, and no one to evaluate their progress or deterioration.

In my area, for instance, I used to patrol a residential area which was a short distance from the main concentration of hospitals, including mental health facilities. We would arrest these "disturbed persons” for theft, burglary, or assault so many times we knew them all by name. Some were not violent, some were.

In court, the judges recognized them as persistent offenders, but understood that they were seriously mentally ill, so were reluctant to put them in jail. In jail, these typically poorly physically conditioned people were victimized horribly by true criminals.

The judges were powerless to commit these individuals to mental institutions for any length of time, as the admitting psychiatrists would judge them not to be “an imminent threat to their own safety or that of others”. Back on the street they went in 24 hours.

One night one of these “repeat customers” of ours, a fifty-ish female of slight build, knocked a man down, sat astride his chest, and cut his heart out with a steak knife. Sometimes three of four of us would have to “pile up” on one of these offenders to get him into custody without having to kill him. Harmless? Hardly.

A large percentage of these street people are armed, with usually crude weapons such as knives, screwdrivers, straight razors, or improvised weapons. They are often very territorial about “their home”, which may be a cozy spot behind your office’s dumpster. They also tend to be very touchy about personal space, and inadvertently getting too close to one may be interpreted as the worst sort of aggressive attack against him, resulting in a furious assault against the “intruder” (you!).

Aside from the obvious “bum” be on the look-out for behavior such as a shuffling, uncoordinated gait; a vacant, “thousand-yard stare”; incoherent mumbling; talking to himself or unseen associates; and other bizarre behavior.

With anyone you suspect to be mentally disturbed, try these tips to avoid or de-escalate a contact: 1. Remember his personal space, and don’t invade it. 2. Do not try to touch him, unless you are prepared to fight him. 3. Do not make sudden, rapid, or startling movements. 4. Speak quietly and slowly. Do not shout. 5. Try to increase distance, and get an obstacle (parked car, fence, etc.) between you, as if he is armed it is probably with an edged weapon.

Thanks Rick. This is the technique that I was looking for. Straight out of kata that we've all prcticed thousands of times. Simple act of bringing up the elbow makes us go from predator to prey quickly.I'd like to think that that covering up looks defensive but clearly for a trained guy it is not, so to an observing eye it looks like an accident when the attacker gets the elbow.

I think training like this is the best of both worlds. Useful techniques that come from kata, personal bunkai is what it's all about.

- During the last few stages prior to actual physical attack, not uncommon to have finger pointing, arm flailing, and slight one or two hand pushes. These are done as an intelligence gathering technique to ascertain your intentions and abilities to fight back

Remember, most attackers have five very real advantages over most of their victims:

Advantage #1: Confidence

- will usually not attack unless he has full confidence in his abilities to win the physical encounter

- Confidence comes from ability to use the tactic of the sucker punch or the the ambush to his full advantage

Advantage #2: Experience

- Experience comes from actual street application rather than a training studio or martial arts school

- Experience comes from real lessons learned on the street. Both good and bad

Advantage #3: Competence:

- Most have one or two techniques that they have mastered to some degree

- This mastery comes from actual application in the real world

- Because of this fact, they know what works most of the time, and what does not

- Their combatives training is learned by doing under “real” street conditions

Advantage #4: Tactics:

- a criminal’s tactics are that of simplicity, the simpler it is the better it will work

- when they do physically attack, it is usually a continuous attack until the intended victim has been knocked out or grounded

- physical attacks are usually very brutal and violent

- usually the criminal uses the advantage of FIRST STRIKE

Advantage #5: Psychological:

- Most people believe that this s*hit will never happen to me and because of this fact when attacked, go into a state of hyper vigilance which is a huge advantage to the attacker

REMEMBER:

The experienced predator on the street, in most cases, has an advantage over you. Respect that !!!! he has things that many martial artists do not have. He has hit real people, in real fights under life threatening conditions many times. You are in his arena, playing his game, by his rules !!!!!!

The street predator keeps his attacks simple and direct. He masters one attack, instead of knowing 100 techniques that he can do in the air, and he knows one or two that he can really land against someone fighting back. And these techniques work in his game plan. Do not play his game; change the rules or you will loose !!!!

:- more often than not, the combatant who strikes first and maintains the offensive mindset, usually win the fight

- in a street fight do not go defensive, attack the attack, go offensive, you deploy FIRST STRIKE and continue with a compound attack. If he gets the first strike in, you want to counterattack the aggressor so viciously that he realizes that now he is the one being attacked and not you

- This is not a cat and mouse game like you see in the movies, no fancy moves and then a theme song as you gaze at your fallen opponent; you have to attack like a banshee and keep on attacking until your safety is assured by the fact that your attacker has no interest in contacting you again

Knowledge and the understanding and application of that knowledge is power !!!!!!!!

It's a mental process as well, if the bad guy sees no opening he won't attack, because he wants an easy victory.and for the victim it can be as easy as screaming "Rape" at the top of her voice to stop an attack...or the belief that if you attack that you will suffer unbeliveable hurt or retribution......but our law courst tend to impede us in that

I agree completely Van that movement is key and strategic movement is King.

“If combat techniques are properly assimilated, the body will be prepared to act spontaneously in situations where a split second can mean life or death. Have a handful of rapid response survival techniques 'grooved' into you as choosing from scores of different movements could get you badly hurt or killed.”

I agree completely again. There is no decision time only “go” time.

Ingrain combat techniques through the modification of instinctive reflexes.

This is where I tend to do a lot of slow motion training to begin with to allow you time to adjust those instinctive movements in a setting you have time to think and then move along a continuum to remove that time and add in resistant partners.

Train slow to develop your efficiency then move to hard and fast to test your effectiveness.

Mental illness is tough we had a guy up here in Alberta get on a Greyhound bus and cut a passenger's head off.

Marcus and Josann – thanks for the comments.

Van: Your posts always challenge us think.

Ray – I agree completely if you can up the cost the assault for the bad guy he may look elsewhere.

Any input on guys as to how you drill for the foot movement? We did a kata bunkai drill Saturday at Joe's dojo and one of the guys did a neat bunkai from the opening movements from konchin where he was being attacked from the side. I'd also think the tenshin moves from hojo undo also have potential as do the first to attacks from each side in kanshiwa.

Too many uechi students are taught to stand strong in sanchin while being attacked, wait for an opening and counter punch.I've never been patient enough to counter( I get happy feet.. bouncing around, impatient etc). I think this would get me killed in a confrontation and makes sense in sparring, which is a type of chess match/duel, but not in reality.

Any ideas that you use to drill and ingrain foot movement that is efficient while being attacked by one or more opponents?

Any input on guys as to how you drill for the foot movement? We did a kata bunkai drill Saturday at Joe's dojo and one of the guys did a neat bunkai from the opening movements from konchin where he was being attacked from the side. I'd also think the tenshin moves from hojo undo also have potential as do the first to attacks from each side in kanshiwa.

Too many uechi students are taught to stand strong in sanchin while being attacked, wait for an opening and counter punch.I've never been patient enough to counter( I get happy feet.. bouncing around, impatient etc). I think this would get me killed in a confrontation and makes sense in sparring, which is a type of chess match/duel, but not in reality.

Any ideas that you use to drill and ingrain foot movement that is efficient while being attacked by one or more opponents?

Sanchin is just awesome for falling into base , even when being moved you need sanchin , just the root IMHO is saved for the attack and yeild move for defence.

Multiples is just an expansion of the positioning Van linked to earlier , how you must get offline of a direct assault , mutliples just makes it more important to enter.

from facing you enter to the 3 o clock or 9 oclock position by spinning off, Rick shows a step/variation in the oh crap to okay drill, if you can get there you can continue past and behind the agressor, and as per Vans diagram it shows how it defeats the pincer movement .

Now with more than two, you extend that skillset you position yourself to the outside of the group if possible and try draw them if they dont work as a group .... if you cant flee, if not possible you go through someone, If stuck inside a group take a position between two keeping them to left and right , then face the closest(or your pick) and close as you take the 3 or 9 position this effectively blocks the other as you move past and behind, if theres three pick the two closest , enter on the closest and take the angle out, the more numbers the same applys closest two between them angle of one and it puts them in aline and you towards the outside..... Use the pincer to your advantage

Spin out and get your back facing out of the group.

I know its hard to explain in words but ,its the best answer ive found , but its really a case of moving attacking and getting through, never stay on the spot and get desperate , you have to win and clear you cant let them close faster than you engage/escape.

I think that you have to ask why do you need a stance and then go from there. If you look at a boxers stance they are facing forward, but their body is facing slightly to the one side, so their vision is really limited to maybe 90 degrees and with very little periferal vision. Now if you stand in Sanchin your vision is greater maybe 180 degrees, but you also present more targets. In both cases you do not have a 100 percent vision of what you face i.e. 360 degrees. So against one opponent the boxer's stance is probably better, and you can do the low horse stance to accomplish pretty much the same thing in Uechi . If you are facing two or more opponents then the sanchin stance is probably better. There is still one problem,what happens if you are attacked from behind? for this you are probably better standing in a one foot forward stance and pivoting to one side by moving your front foot in a semi circle, then pivoting again with the front foot the other way, this way you will gain a 360 degree viewpoint of what is happening where the threat or threats are coming from and then from there decide what fighting stance to adopt, of course if you have a wall behind you then you can just drop into Sanchin.

Any input on guys as to how you drill for the foot movement? We did a kata bunkai drill Saturday at Joe's dojo and one of the guys did a neat bunkai from the opening movements from konchin where he was being attacked from the side. I'd also think the tenshin moves from hojo undo also have potential as do the first to attacks from each side in kanshiwa.

True.

The tenshin moves from hojo undo and kata instill the basics of 'having to move'_ hopefully kick starting more in depth exploration of motion kinetics, if you will.

Again, we should never forget the 'operant conditioning rule' and how it will affect all we do in spite of our arguments to the contrary.

Work the full movement continuum as it is intertwined with your other continuum skill sets. Only then can you find out what is really best for you.

Jo

Quote:

Too many Uechi students are taught to stand strong in sanchin while being attacked, wait for an opening and counter punch. I've never been patient enough to counter( I get happy feet.. bouncing around, impatient etc). I think this would get me killed in a confrontation and makes sense in sparring, which is a type of chess match/duel, but not in reality.

Again, never forget the 'operant conditioning rule' and how it will affect all we do in spite of our arguments to the contrary.

Now and then …it is best to practice all our two men drills from natural positions we may find ourselves in. For example you may want to work Dan kumite with each sequence defending from varied positions: i.e., say number one sequence…you are up against the wall holding an empty paper cup to your mouth with a fellow student to your right or left, when the partner starts the attack.

Then from 2 to 6 think of other natural positions you might be in…squatting down to pick something up…sitting on a chair etc. This ingrains the 'getting off the attack line' _

Instead of the sequences looking like 'flowing' drills…concentrate in making each one 'terminal' like in a real fight.

But always, never practice prearranged drills by first getting into a sanchin stance. Stay light on your feet and move in a circle…as you are doing, Josann.

Any ideas that you use to drill and ingrain foot movement that is efficient while being attacked by one or more opponents?

One of the concepts worth practicing is looking to acquire the adversaries' flanks and rear...as directional changes are the best way to not bind up. Turn your movement elliptical or use a cut back and look to get behind the adversary.

You may also find that,once behind him, you can use him as a shield against another opponent's attacks or you can grab him by the scuff of the neck and seat of the pants and drive him into other opponents as in charging behind a shield.

When you think of it...natural instincts want us to move forward and in force on force drills every backpedaler gets literally run over by his adversary, especially if he is a big man. But we need to work at this stuff.

Drills in moving off line should include simple, stanceless, explosive take offs laterally 3:00 or 9:00 _but also at angles such as the 5:00, 7:00, or 2:00 and 10:00_ against the most common street attacks, punches, shoves, kick in the nuts and 'shoots' take downs at close range so we learn the body signals coming at us...always followed by counters that would stop someone...here you would need to always work at stopping power and targeting...remembering you will be in tunnel vision mode and fumbling is a possibility.

However, when you think of it...the direction you move is going to be dictated by the terrain and environment of where the attack occurs.

You may have a wall or cliff on one side, a car, furniture,etc., and have to move in a different direction than what is ideal.

What is important is that you can explode and move in any direction of the clock, and you should practice them all. Your body will know what to do if you practice moving in all directions.

it is best to own every direction on the clock. If you are behind in the reactionary curve your body is going to pick the direction that you move at the subconscious level.

Do to the genetics of "Who you are" this initial reaction may not be the optimal one. Just realize that the conscious mind will catch up and you can turn your sub-optimal initial move into a much more optimal move.....within a couple of steps.

Become proficient in moving in all directions, and in being able to move up a hill or down on hill, on grass, mud, gravel, concrete, etc. It is all important...and this is something not easily in our schedule.

As a soccer player [great for movement] we trained to run backwards while keeping our eyes on the ball and the dispersal of the players, being very attentive, in peripheral vision, of the 'checking opponent' and the angling of space opening up for passing the ball or 'beelining' to the Goal for a shot.

If your dojo is big enough, practice this _ modified for evasion and striking, but be careful, slow, you don't want to fall and smash the back of your head on a hard floor as opposed to a grassy soccer filed.

We also practiced a sort of "speed skating" steps...if you will_ ie., few steps left then few steps right, spin outs_then 1 or 2 step left, then 3 or 4 steps right, then 2 steps left.

Sometimes a step left, a quick hesitation ...then step right over the ball...fake... and then another step or two left. Then do the same on right.

We were then trained to do 'personal skills' movements and then introduce a lack of patterns to them.

Watch a good soccer player in action and you will wonder at their motion skills.

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